


All Those Things You've Always Pined For

by pinkevilbob



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 17:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21102902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/pseuds/pinkevilbob
Summary: Caleb stumbles upon a blanket fort in the middle of his living room created by a certain Miss Jester. The only question is why?





	All Those Things You've Always Pined For

**Author's Note:**

> It's Wolf's birthday! She's super cool! I wrote her a fic!

A mass of pillows, seat cushions, and blankets took over the living room of Caleb's and Nott's apartment. At first Caleb thought that Luc must've been visiting, but Nott would've told him if Yeza and her son were there. "Hallo?" Caleb asked.

"Hi," Jester said from inside the blankets.

"Should I ask why all the cushions are missing from the couch?"

"I needed them for the south wall," Jester said.

Caleb nodded. "Ah, and why is there a south wall?"  
"Nott said I could," Jester said. "Beau needed space," she added softly.

Caleb had heard about how Beau's family drama had spiked again. "Do you need space?"

Jester lifted up a blanket flap. "Come on in."

"Danke," Caleb said as he got down on his hands and knees. He carefully crawled into the blanket fort and settled down next to Jester. The fort was crowded between the two of them and the four stuffed animals Jester already had in there with her. There was probably more to this than just Beau's familial troubles, but Caleb wasn't one to ask.

"No problem. It's better with company down here anyways."

Caleb glanced down at the stuffed hamster unicorn and friends. "Ja, I noticed. Is it okay if I invite Frumpkin?"

"Do you think he'd want to join us?" Jester asked excitedly.

Caleb nodded. "He's a fan of hiding under blankets." He made little chirping sounds to lure the cat into their lair. 

Frumpkin sniffed the blankets before deigning to enter.

"Frumpy!" Jester scratched him under his chin. The cat curled up on her lap with a soft purr.

"Every good fort needs a cat."

Jester nodded with a grin, but then it faded. "My mom's at the hospital." Her voice sounded small and distant.

"Is it bad?"Caleb asked.

She shrugged. "She collapsed after a performance. They say it's probably just her blood sugar, but there's a lot of tests they need to do before she can go home. I talked to Mom on the phone, but it's not the same as visiting her." 

Part of Caleb felt like he should comfort her or give her a hug, but he'd probably just make her feel uncomfortable. "The hospital down in Nicodranas is a good one, ja?"

"Yeah, it is, so I don't need to worry, but-" Jester sighed and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, you don't need to hear about this."

"I don't mind though. It can be scary to not know if everything's going be okay." 

Jester nodded. "I just wish I could be there, but tickets are expensive and by the time I get there, she'll probably already be home and think that I'm being silly."

"But, you love her. That's not silly," Caleb said. Jester stared at him and he could feel his face turning red. "That's what I think at least."

"Thanks. That's a nice thing to say."

A silence grew between them. "Do you want to talk about it, silence, or a distraction?" Caleb asked breaking the quiet.

"A distraction would be nice."

"I can get my laptop and we could watch a movie if you'd like," Caleb suggested.

Jester nodded. "That would be nice."

"Ja, okay." He carefully crawled out of the fort. At first he was just going to get his laptop, but the kitchen caught his eye. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah! If you have anything like milk or something."

Caleb checked the cupboard. "I think I have something better than that." He prepared a couple of drinks and then grabbed his laptop. It was a little tricky to get them all into the fort, but it was worth the smile on Jester's face.

She gasped when he passed her a hot chocolate piled high with whipped cream. "With sprinkles!"

"I've been friends with you long enough to know what you like." Caleb noticed a lot of things about Jester, but he noticed a lot of things about a lot of people. Jester though may have caught his eye the most.

Jester took a sip and got whipped cream on her nose. She tried to lick it off, but her tongue was too short.

Caleb chuckled and wiped it off with his thumb. "There you go."

"Thanks Caleb." She then licked the whipped cream off of his thumb. Jester then jerked back and stared at Caleb like she just realized what she had done.

a red hot blush covered Caleb's face. They stared at each other for a long moment only for Frumpkin to interrupt them with a long yawn. "We should probably start the movie."

"Oh, right yeah," Jester said. "Um, what do you want to watch?"

"What would you like to watch?" Caleb asked.

Jester shrugged. "I don't know, maybe something light and romantic?"

Caleb gave it some thought. "Have you seen Bringing Up Baby?"

"No, is it good?"

"It stars Cary Grant. I like it at least. You'll like it the leading lady. She's like you."

"She draws dicks everywhere?" Jester asked.

Caleb nearly choked on his coco. "What? No. I guess she's not that much like you, but she knows how she wants to be and doesn't make compromises for anyone. And she has a silly sense of humor."

Jester pouted. "I thought you liked my sense of humor."

"Ja, I do. I can like it and think that it's silly and cute."

Jester leaned forward. "Is that the only thing you think is cute about me?"

He could feel his blush returning and he turned his face away. "There's a lot of things that are cute about you Jester. Your smile and how you laugh for starters."

"I was just teasing Caleb. You don't have to make up things," Jester said flustered.

"I'm making nothing up," Caleb said. "I do think that you have a cute laugh, and a cute smile. And cute freckles. And that you're cute when your eyes light up when you come up with the perfect prank."

Jester stared at him in shock. "You really think all that?"

"Ja, I do. I like you very much, Jester." There was a part of him deep down screaming that he shouldn't say such things, but he ignored it completely.

"Really?" A blush covered Jester's cheeks. 

Caleb nodded silently.

She leaned in all serious. "And not just in a friend way?"

Caleb rubbed his arm. "It might be more than that. Sorry?"

"Sorry? Why? Is falling in love with me that bad?" She sagged down a little.

"Nein," Caleb said shaking his head. "I can't image anything better than loving you. But I know that can do a lot better than me and shouldn't have to deal with my foolish crush. I'm sorry."

Jester crossed her arms. "I can do better than someone who would crawl into a blanket fort, make me hot chocolate, and watch old movies with me just because I'm having a bad day? I'm having a super hard time imagining that. And I maybe I find your smile cute too. Or how your eyes come to life when you find out we're going to the library. Maybe I have a crush on you too."

Caleb couldn't believe it. There was no way that Jester Lavorre would ever feel that way about Caleb Widogast. "You're joking."

"If I was joking there'd be a lot more references to dicks. I really like you Caleb," she added softly.

"I really like you too," Caleb said.

Jester bit her lip. "So are we supposed to kiss now?"

"Only if you want to."

"I'm not sure that I want to yet. I'm still worried about Mom. And maybe that's not a good reason, but-" Jester shrugged with a confused sigh.

"That's reason enough for me," Caleb said. "We can just watched the movie together."

Jester leaned against Caleb's arm. "I'd like that."

Caleb clicked the play button all too aware of Jester's warmth and weight on his arm. "Ja, I'd like that too."

They watched the film in silence only breaking it to laugh at the right scenes. Jester clung to Caleb's arm like it was one of her stuffed animals, but he'd never complain about that. All too soon the movie ended, but Jester still held on to Caleb's arm. "Caleb?"

"Ja?"

"Can, can I spend the night here? I don't want to be alone tonight." Jester sounded small and scared.

Caleb almost mentioned that Beau should be home at their place, but then he realized that wasn't what Jester meant. "Ja, you can stay here."

"Yes! It can be like a slumber party and we can sleep out here! Do you think that Nott would join us?" Jester asked.

He rubbed his chin. Nott could be hard to predict sometimes, but she could sleep anywhere. "We can ask her."

Jester grinned brightly. Her phone began to ring. "It's Mom!!! I have to take this, Caleb, okay?" She didn't even wait for a response before answering her phone and talking animatedly on it like she wasn't nervous at all, but Caleb could tell the exact moment when relief swept over her. After a few more minutes, she said goodbye wishing her mom a goodnight. "Caleb! Mom's okay! Well, not okay, okay, but it was just her sugar levels and she has to take pills to maintain it, but they say that it's easy to manage and that she'll be fine."

"That's wonderful news."

Jester nodded beaming. "Yeah! Thanks for being with me tonight. Can we still have a slumber party?"

Caleb chuckled. "Ja, we can still have a slumber party."

"And um," she bit her lip, "can we kiss now?"

"Only if you wa-" Jester planted a big kiss on Caleb before he could even finish the sentence. He fell backwards knocking the blanket fort over, but then returned the kiss. Frumpkin made indignant yowling sounds as he dashed out of the heap of blankets and pillows.  
Jester broke off from the kiss. "We should probably clean this up."

"Ja, we should," Caleb said. "Or we could try another kiss."

"I like that idea."


End file.
